Terms 1, 2, 3 & 4 Vocabulary

renounced

to state officially that you are no longer going to keep a title, position, etc.

incredulously

in a way that shows you cannot believe something

simultaneously

at the same time as something else

insolently

in an extremely rude way that shows a lack of respect for somebody

acute

very serious or severe OR very sensitive and well developed

profound

very great; felt or experienced very strongly

sagacity

good judgement and understanding

crevice

a narrow opening in a rock or wall

gesticulations

the act of moving your hands and arms about in order to attract attention or make somebody understand what you are saying

derision

a strong feeling that somebody/something is silly and not worth considering seriously, shown by laughing in an unkind way or by making unkind remarks

dissimulation

the act of hiding your real feelings or intentions, often by pretending to have different ones

immolate

to destroy/kill a thing or person by burning it/him/her/them

rapier

a long, thin, light sword with a sharp point

impunity

the fact of not getting punished for something

paltry

(of an amount) too small to be considered as important or useful

aperture

a small opening in something

malevolence

a desire to harm other people

infinitesimal

extremely small

lugubrious

sad and serious

accolade

praise or an award for an achievement that people admire

loquacious

talking a lot or too much

wanderlust

a strong desire to travel

labyrinthine

complicated and difficult to find your way through, like a maze

quandary

the state of not being able to decide what to do in a difficult situation

inadvertent

done by accident, without being intended

penitentiary

a prison

vigilance

great care that is taken to notice any signs of danger or trouble

peril

serious danger

incredulous

not willing or not able to believe something; showing a lack of ability to believe something

torpor

the state of not being active and having no energy or enthusiasm

malaise

a general feeling of being ill, unhappy or not satisfied, or that something is wrong in society, without being able to explain or identify what is wrong

epitome

a perfect example of something

ostentatious

(disapproving) showing your wealth or status in a way that is intended to impress people

scintillating

very clever, exciting and interesting

anomaly

a thing, situation, etc. that is different from what is normal or expected

angst

a feeling of great worry about a situation, or about your life

tryst

a secret romantic meeting between two people

tirade

a long angry speech criticizing somebody/something or accusing somebody of something

precocious

(of a child) having developed particular abilities and ways of behaving at a much younger age than usual

ostracize

to refuse to let somebody be a member of a social group; to refuse to meet or talk to somebody

oblivion

a state in which you are not aware of what is happening around you, usually because you are unconscious or asleep

berate

to criticize or speak angrily to somebody because you do not approve of something they have done

togs

clothes, especially ones that you wear for a particular purpose

row

a serious argument between people, organizations, etc. about something

usurp

to take somebody's position and/or power without having the right to do this

cretin

a very stupid person

fatuous

stupid

quintessential

representing the perfect example of something

fastidious

being careful that every detail of something is correct

stigma

negative feelings that people have about particular circumstances or characteristics that somebody may have

panacea

something that will solve all the problems of a particular situation

hedonist

a person who believes that pleasure is the most important thing in life

narcissist

a person who admires himself or herself too much, especially their appearance

caustic

critical in a bitter or sarcastic way

ogle

to look hard at somebody in an offensive way, usually showing sexual interest

esoteric

likely to be understood or enjoyed by only a few people with a special knowledge or interest

mantra

a statement or slogan that is often repeated; a word, phrase or sound that is repeated again and again, especially during prayer or meditation

faux pas

an action or a remark that causes somebody to feel embarrassed because it is not socially correct

sycophant

a person who praises important or powerful people too much and in a way that is not sincere, especially in order to get something from them

insidious

spreading gradually or without being noticed, but causing serious harm

élan

great enthusiasm and energy, style and confidence

Spartan

simple or severe; without anything that makes life easier or more pleasant

ubiquitous

seeming to be everywhere or in several places at the same time; very common

untenable

(of a theory, position, etc.) that cannot be defended against attack or criticism

draconian

(of a law, punishment, etc.) extremely cruel and severe

inexorable

(of a process) that cannot be stopped or changed

foyer

a large open space inside the entrance of a theatre or hotel where people can meet or wait

nonchalantly

in a calm and relaxed way, showing no sign of worry

opaque

(of glass, liquid, etc.) not clear enough to see through or allow light through

ambiguous

that can be understood in more than one way; having different meanings

vehement

showing very strong feelings, especially anger

anomaly

a thing, situation, etc. that is different from what is normal or expected

gregarious

liking to be with other people

capricious

showing sudden changes in attitude or behavior

fiasco

something that does not succeed, often in a way that makes people feel embarrassed

idyllic

peaceful and beautiful; perfect, without problems

malinger

to pretend to be ill, especially in order to avoid work

acrimony

angry bitter feelings or words

abscond

to escape from a place that you are not allowed to leave without permission OR to leave secretly and take with you something, especially money, that does not belong to you

brogue

the accent that somebody has when they are speaking, especially the accent of Irish or Scottish speakers of English

brusque

using very few words and sounding rude

abhorrent

causing a strong feeling of hate, especially for moral reasons

abominable

extremely unpleasant and causing horror

acrimonious

(of an argument, etc.) angry and full of strong bitter feelings and words

aloof

not friendly or interested in other people

ambivalent

having or showing both positive and negative feelings about somebody/something

amoral

not following any moral rules and not caring about right and wrong

anachronism

something that is placed, for example in a book or play, in the wrong period of history; the fact of placing something in the wrong period of history

anathema

a thing or an idea that you hate because it is the opposite of what you believe

bellicose

having or showing a desire to argue or fight

bestial

cruel and horrible; of or like a beast

belittle

to make somebody, or the things that somebody does, seem unimportant

bilious

feeling as if you might vomit soon

bovine

connected with cows OR (of a person) stupid and slow

brackish

(of water) containing salt and tasting of it in an unpleasant way

capricious

showing sudden changes in attitude or behavior

carp

to keep complaining about somebody/something in an annoying way

circuitous

(of a route or journey) long and not direct

corpulent

(of a person) fat.

craven

not having or showing courage